When J.D. Vance took the stage at the Munich Security Conference last week, he issued a stern warning. The US vice president told the assembled politicians and diplomats that free speech and democracy are under attack from European elites: “The threat I worry the most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s . . . the threat from within.”
If Vance hoped to persuade his audience, rather than simply insult it, he failed. Indeed, his speech backfired spectacularly, convincing many listeners that America itself is now a threat to Europe.
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Financial Times
Gideon Rachman is chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times. His particular interests include American foreign policy, the European Union and globalisation.
